The “A-Plant”

About the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant

The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, commonly known as the “A-Plant,” is a facility located just south of Piketon, Ohio. It previously produced enriched uranium, including weapons-grade uranium, for the United States Atomic Energy program and U.S. nuclear weapons program.

The plant is in shutdown status and is in preparation for decontamination and decommissioning (D&D), with some facilities overseen by the United States Enrichment Corporation, a subsidiary of USEC Incorporated, a publicly traded corporation (NYSE: USU).

The D&D work on the older facilities to prepare the site for future use is expected to continue through 2024 and is being conducted by Fluor-B&W Portsmouth LLC.

The A-Plant’s campus has the potential to provide significant long-term growth for the Southern Ohio region.

History of the A-Plant

The plant was constructed from 1952-1956, with the first enrichment cells going online in 1954.

In May 2001, the Piketon plant ceased operations and was placed in cold standby. In 2006, the site work shifted into cold shutdown transition in preparation for future D&D.

In May 2007, a commercial Centrifuge Plant began being constructed for the production of commercial nuclear fuel for power reactors at the Portsmouth site. Once completed, the commercial plant will use approximately 11,500 centrifuge machines to generate 3.8 million separative work units (SWU) a year.

The largest buildings, the process buildings, have a combined length of approximately one and a half miles, and cover about 93 acres (38 ha) and contain 10 million square feet of space. In use, the plant consumed a peak electrical demand of 2,100 megawatts.[1]

Incentives & Taxes

The JEDISO team is your key to finding out more about the many Ohio business-friendly taxes and various incentive programs available. Contact us for more information on eligibility and for assistance in applying.